A microfluidic platform to unravel immune cells cross-talk in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disease that can cause irreversible joint damage and significant disability. Joint inflammation in RA is closely related to infiltration of immune cells, among which circulating T-cells and synovial resident macrophages play a critical role. Thus, including immune system in in vitro models is of crucial importance to better understand RA pathogenesis. Here, we developed a novel 3D microfluidic platform aimed at evaluating the active role of immune cells involved in RA. In particular, the platform was used to study spontaneous migration of Th1 T-cells towards pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages, thanks to the insertion of specific valves mechanism, allowing the trapping of immune cells inside the device and the stimulation of different cell types separately.